


Ten Bullets, Four Bodies

by Otakiot



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Graphic Description, Grief/Mourning, Gun Violence, Hate Speech, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Multi, Past Relationship(s), Past Sexual Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 00:53:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16566467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otakiot/pseuds/Otakiot
Summary: A slight au version of the season 2 finale in which the butterfly effect comes into major play. Lives are lost, relationships shattered and new ones formed as chaos ensues. Making this one dance into a horrific nightmare of a memory that no one at Liberty High will forget anytime soon. All of this and more that could have been prevented if one junior had reached his destination as he had planned.But for the sake of this story, that's not going to happen.





	1. The Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER*  
> 1.I am in NO way condoning or supporting any violence towards oneself or others. This is a work of fiction that contains those aspects for the sole purpose of keeping canon-typical and moving the story along. If you are dealing with a difficult situation, please reach out to the many resources available to you below, message me, or look up specific hotlines/chatrooms to fit your needs. You are not alone.  
> 2.PLEASE READ TWs BEFORE READING! They are in the story description above. Please stay safe!  
> 1-(800)273-8255[National Suicide Hotline US]  
> 1-(866)246-9224[Canadian National Hotline]  
> 1-44 (0) 8457 90 90 90[UK Suicide Hotline]  
> 1-(866)488-7386[Trevor Project]

 

 **OOooooOOOoo** **...OooOOOooo...OOOOOoooOoo..OOOoooOOOO** **..**

  Tony’s eyes flashed open in horror, “Oh shit.” He shot his date an apologetic look that Caleb seemed only slightly annoyed by. It was almost as if he knew what was to come next. " I need to go find Clay.” His boyfriend sighed as he let him leave, he couldn’t say no to someone so filled with worry and so desperate to leave. Tony included. Even if that meant another hour of sitting alone as couples danced around him. Maybe their next date would be better.

 

 

**I am not the only traveler----. Who has not repaid his debts..**

  
“Have you seen Clay?” Tony asked as he twisted a very distracted Justin about. The other boy’s eyes were still on something just past him. “Justin!”

  “Wha-? Oh, no. Not in a while. Last time I saw him, he was taking a picture with Cyrus and his groupies. Why, is something going on?” The jock’s eyes now locked on Tony’s as he tried to figure out what was hidden just past them.

  “Nothing, just curious. Let me know if you do spot him.” Justin nodded warily before crossing the dance floor. ‘There’s Cyrus, now where is Clay?’

+

 

 

**I’ve** **been searching for a trail to fo--llow… Agai~n. Take me back to the night we met.**

  
  Clay stumbled forwards as he tried in vain to reach the center of the dance floor. That place that just a year before he and… He felt another wave of agonizing chaos terrorize his mind as his grief overtook his every thought.

  "Excuse you, asshole!” Someone sneered at him as they shoved him out of the way. His path was blocked and there was no way to get through the mob of people before him.

  The mob that was growing bigger- and denser- and tighter- and-! He felt dizzy as his heart fluttered deep within him. ‘I have to get the hell out of here. Now.’ Many curses, bumps and kicks later he had finally managed to reach the outer perimeter of the gym with only minor bruising.

 

 

**And then I can tell** **mysel** **\--f. What the hell.. I'm ..supposed to** **dooo** **..**

  
  “This was our song..” A soft voice spoke to him quietly, a slight sense of disdain thinly veiled beneath its silence. Clay felt the hair on his neck and arms rise to attention.

  When his eyes glanced up to look at the person addressing him he couldn’t help but suck in a shuddering gasp. There, dressed as she had that night an eternity ago, was Hannah. The sparkling lights above them in the dark gym cast an eerie light over her deadly smile. “Did you really think it’d be that easy to get rid of me, Clay? Really?!” Her voice rose as hatred seeped out of her every word and her smooth strides brought her to him. “After you killed me? After all you did? Or didn’t do I should say?” She let out a disgusted laugh. Clay’s hands shook and he moved away from her, his back slammed roughly into the collapsed bleachers behind him.

 

 

**And then I can tell** **mysel** **\--f. Not to ride along with you...**

  
  “Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no way that is going to happen. Not after you did this.” She lifted up her pale arms towards him and turned them slowly over, her bracelets rattled slightly as they rustled among one-another. Beneath their glittering rings and running from her wrists up to the crease of her elbow, were long, jagged gashes that poured out endless streams of blood from her limbs to the ground below.

 

 

<Drip. Drip.> **I** **had all and then most of you... Some and now none of you. Take me back to the** **ni~ght** **we met...** < Drip, drip. Drip.>

  
   Tears built up in his eyes and he twisted away from her, a sob escaping from his lips. He didn’t think, he just ran. He ran as fast as his long legs could manage and didn’t stop until he was out of the front metal doors and plunged into the dark parking lot just beyond.

 

 

**I** **don't know what I'm supposed to do.. Haunted by the ghost of you.. Oh.. take me back... to... the** **ni** **~ght** **we met..**

  
  “Oh fuck.. Oh jesus fuck…” He cried as sat on the front steps with his face in his palms. “She’s gone.. That wasn’t her. She’s gone…”

 

 

<Click.>

 

 

 

  He wiped off his face shamefully and looked up at the source of the odd noise. “Tyler..?” Then his eyes fell on the weapon in the his arms and he jolted up to his feet. “T-..Tyler? What’s going on? Why do you have that?!” Tyler’s eyes darkened as he leveled his sights on Clay.

 

 

 

  “Go. Leave now.” Tyler’s voice was empty and his eyes guarded.

 

 

 

  “No! I mean.. I can’t do that. Can you.. Can you put down the gun?” Clay reached a hand forwards as he slowly moved closer. “You don’t have to do this. You can go inside with me and-”

 

 

 

  “Shut up! I can’t! Now get out of my fucking way!” He could see fear in Tyler’s eyes now.

 

 

 

  “You can, Tyler! We want to help you! Just please put that down. Nothing good comes out of this. Nothing!”

 

 

 

  The sound of the door creaking open and closing and the grating sound of police sirens in the distance filled the air. “Clay?!” Tony’s voice called. Clay kept his eyes on his peer before him as he motioned for Tony to stay away.

 

 

 

  “Tyler, we just want to help. That’s all we want for you and all of Liberty. You just have to let us.” Tyler let out a bark of a laugh in disbelief at that.

 

 

 

  “How can you help me? You were crying by yourself just a minute ago and I’m now supposed to believe you can help me? Like you’re helping yourself? Like how _they_ are helping you? Like how you helped Hannah?!” Clay flinched slightly at the name and tried to ignore the questioning glances from Tony.

 

 

 

  “Tyler-” He stepped forwards one more step as the sirens grew more deafening once they reached the edge of the school campus. “There’s still time just-”

 

 

 

  Two deafening shots echoed about the empty asphalt as two rounds were emptied in him. Clay looked down at the growing crimson stains on his shirt and back at Tony before collapsing into a crumpled heap at Tyler’s feet.

 

 

 

  "Clay?! Clay?!” Tony’s eyes watered a moment before rage replaced it. White-hot, blinding anger that sent him charging forwards with no weapon in hand at the only student who did. He didn’t even feel the first bullet hit his leg as threw  himself at Tyler. “YOU SON OF A BITCH! I WILL KILL YOU!” He landed a painful hit to Tyler’s jaw and struggled with him for the gun in his hand. “LET IT GO!”

 

 

 

“Fine!” Tyler suddenly released his grip on the weapon, successfully knocking off Tony’s balance and ultimately throwing him back onto his friend’s unconscious form.

 

 

 

"Oh shit, Tyler, don't you fucking da-" Another shot rang out of a handgun he had pulled from a holster on his hip. Tony let out a mutter of a curse as he lost the last of his strength. He heard yells and screams from students and officers alike as he too let himself sink into the darkness behind his eyelids.

 


	2. The Hospital

“Ahhhahahhhh… That hurts like a bitch.” He hissed as he opened his eyes to the bright room about him for the first time.

  
“What hurts?” A deep, yet soothing voice asked as a hand curled around his.

 

“Everything.” He said dryly but soon regretted it as he saw the hurt on his boyfriend’s face. Tony’s mind wasn't sidetracked enough by this to apologize though, instead another thought snatched his mind’s focus and made his muscles tense. “Clay, is he okay? Did he- Nevermind, I will go see for myself. What room?” He pulled his hand away from Caleb's and began to uncover himself. As soon as he tried to sit up a strong pair of hands gently pushed his shoulders back against  the hospital bed.

 

“You shouldn't be up and about, Tony. You just got shot. Twice. You can worry about your friend later.Just wait a little bit, you have all the time in the world.” Tony suddenly recalled the one time he had thought that exact same thing. He'd thought he had time, that he didn't need to check the door just then. It could wait a while. And then he found Hannah in a pool of her own blood.

 

Blood, like what he saw coating Clay last night. Streaks along his face and pools beneath him. Everywhere. No, he didn't have time. There was never enough time. He had to get out of here and find him. “Get the hell off me, Caleb! I need to go now! _Not_ later.” Maybe if he was watching closer he would have seen the last of many threads finally snap. How, at that moment, something changed between them in Caleb’s eyes. But he hadn't, and he only made things worse as he continued to strain against his boyfriend's arms. “I need to see him, please. I need to see Clay.” He gave up fighting now as he leaned heavily upon  the taller man. "Please.." 

 

" ..Fine. But you have to let me help you and you have to use a chair. You can't be walking on that leg. "

 

Tony nodded dumbly as he settled back against the cushions. The exhaustion he had avoided before was now upon him and overwhelmed every part of him. 'Stay awake... Stay awake for Clay. C'mon, Tony, wake the fuck up.' He chanted to himself as Caleb went to get a wheelchair from a nearby nurse.  
~  
“Here he is.” Caleb's voice was full of contempt. “I will be in the cafeteria. Text me if you need me.”

 

“Thank you, Caleb.”

 

“Uhuh...” Tony heard the footsteps behind him grow quieter and quieter until there was nothing left to hear but the beeps and chimes of various machines and the rhythmic breathes of the boy before him.

 

It was just him and his friend now and Tony couldn't help but cringe slightly at the sight of him. Clay’s right side, left shoulder and right collar bone were all covered in thick gauze to conceal the ravaged flesh just below. His usually curious and attentive face had now gone slack and pale and there was a slight stink to him that told him that the two of them had been out longer than he had thought. He sniffed his own gown and wrinkled his nose in disgust as the same stench filled his nostrils. Stale clothing, sweat, antiseptic and something else he couldn't place.

 

Tony realised then as he fidgeted in his seat that he had gotten off easy with a shot to the leg and shoulder. He was sore but would recover quickly (this wasn't the first time he had been shot up by some nut job),but for Clay… He couldn't say the same. Jensen had yet to even twitch slightly, let alone wakeup.

 

The wheelchair bound teen tentatively leaned forwards and skimmed his fingers across the bandage on his friend’s collar bone. This one was his fault he knew. The same bullet that had torn through the muscle and tissue of his shoulder had passed through him and into Clay who had been lying beneath him. And if he were to die.. Well that would be another friend’s blood on his hands. “But you won't die will you, Clay? You’re too damn stubborn to. You still have yet to make Liberty High get its shit together. Or kick Bryce’s ass for that matter. And _I_ still haven’t…” His casual banter trailed off as his emotions spilled over once more. 

 

“D-damn it.. How many times is this going to happen? I need to pull my shit together.” He laughed tiredly as salt water spilled over his cheeks.  "I'm so fucking pathetic."

 

"You're not." Tony stiffened up and kept his face turned away as he heard the familiar gait of Alex make its way about the bed before he settled on the opposite side. " Tony. "

 

"Hm..?" He turned to face him now but kept his eyes down.

 

" You do know it took me about a week to wake up, right? It's only been two days, give him some more time. " Tony tried to ignore him, what did Alex know? How does he know that Clay will be okay?! He doesn't. No one does. So they just need to be quiet and leave him alone instead of always trying to console him. Tony's hands shook with exertion as he gripped the bed's railing hard enough to whiten his knuckles. "If.. If he doesn't wake up though and he-"

 

"Stop!" He finally snapped at Alex, his watery, red eyes meeting the other's sympathetic ones. " Fuck you, Alex. Get out! "

  
Alex didn't leave though, if anything he just looked more sure of himself. "We will need you to arrange things for his funeral and unplugging. Parents usually do that but the Jensens can't yet. It's too much for them."

"And it wouldn't be for me?! " His voice rose and cracked as he began to cry again. "Why do I have to? Why not you or Justin or anyone else?! Justin is his brother now for God's sake!" Tony's voice rose louder and his fist slammed into his wheelchair's side.

"Because you are the only one left to... And you know what he would've wanted. Out of everyone, his parents included, you knew Clay best. "

"What he does want..." Tony corrected in a threatening growl.

" What? "

"He's not dead yet, Alex. So it's not would've." His voice was as cold as ice. The short-haired boy before him nodded in understanding before apologizing quietly. " And if I have to.. I will fucking-..! I will plan his funeral. " 'Is this punishment for all the horrible shit I've done and caused? If he dies then I have killed two people.. No. Two friends. Shit, I'm worse than Bryce. Fucking Bryce.' "God damn it!” His fists met his thighs violently before he realised his mistake and curled over in pain as the fresh bullet wound reopened. Red seeped through the white cloth of the bandage, corrupting its colors with the gruesome shade. A slight groan escaped from his tightly sealed lips.

"...Are you okay? I could get a nurse-" The look on Tony's face was all the answer he needed. "I'll just stay with you then. If that’s alright."

" .....Fine." In the dimming afternoon sunlight, the three disheveled teens sat in silence.Lost in or avoiding their thoughts as they contented themselves with the quiet stillness they had each adopted while the methodical beeps of the heart monitor surrounded them.

~

“Tony.” The boy in question turned his gaze up from his feet to look at Caleb. Alex had left yesterday night and no one else had come by to visit Clay since; which only helped to reinforce Tony’s pledge to stay at his side until his friend either woke up or was taken away from it to be.. He couldn't think about that now, Caleb was here and he seemed set on talking to him. “Could I talk to you for a bit here in the hall? It will only be a minute and you will be able to see him if you need to.”

“Yeah, alright.” He straightened himself in his chair and readied himself for his attempts at the painful trek across the tile hospital floor. That is, until his boyfriend strode over with a disbelieving look and pushed him out of the room himself.

“You’re going to need to do P.T. again you know. Especially for that shoulder.” Caleb noted as he stood tall before Tony’s chair-bound figure. Tony smirked at him.

“Good thing I have the best P.T. coach right here. And I can’t say I will be much better than last time when it comes to my attendance rate if I can help it.”

Caleb's face turned stern for a moment as his coaching self took over before a look of resignation replaced it and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You can’t. This isn’t anger-management, Tony, if you skip you may not be able to use that arm or leg of yours again. Or at the very least, not easily again. But that is for your next coach to explain. I’m not coaching you anymore.”

Now it was Tony’s turn to stare at him in disbelief. “I-is it because of the mugging because-” Caleb's raised up a hand to silence him.

“No, it’s because it would be too awkward to after we broke up..”

“Wait.. You're breaking up with me? Why now? Or actually-. Why in the first place? I mean I wasn't the best person or friend I could've been but I thought we were good.” His mind spun in confusion.

“Exactly, “friend”. That is exactly why I am ending this. You may have thought of me as your boyfriend for a while. But..” His eyes flashed over to Clay for a moment before looking back down at him. “After _he_ showed up again, I was thrown on the backburner. Instead of your boyfriend, I became your friend and then.. Maybe nothing more than acquaintance. I know now that you will never be able to love me, not really. Not like how I do for you, because your heart is already set on someone else. And I accept that. But I can’t continue with-...”He waved his hands between them. “Whatever _this_ is while knowing that. I’m sorry.” Tony said nothing as he stared past him, it seemed to Caleb that it still hadn't fully set in. “Goodbye, Tony.”

Caleb pulled up Tony’s face to his and pressed his lips roughly against him, desperate for that old feeling he loved just one last time. Tony's face remained still and lifeless beneath him at first, his eyes still trained on the point in which he had been standing. After a little while though, he seemed to register what was happening and pressed his own lips against Caleb's as a last attempt to get him to reconsider. To stay with him and pretend this never happened. That way, he didn't have to lose anyone else. Caleb then pulled away, and Tony realized that there really was nothing he could do to stop this. Not anymore atleast. And he hated it.

“Now you should go check on your _real_ boyfriend. You know you want to.” He gave him a slightly pained smile before guiding Tony’s chair back into place and without another word, left his old partner behind.

Tony wanted to believe Caleb was wrong. That he did love him and he was just confused and paranoid.  No matter how he looked at it, he knew he had been right all along. This has been coming for a long time now and if it hadn't been today then it would've been the day after or the one after that. And the longer it had been put off the more painful it would have been.

That fact didn't make the situation any less devastating for him though as struggled to wrap his head around the past few days. He slicked back his unusually-greasy and messy hair and let his gaze settle on the person who had torn his world apart, Clay. 'No it wasn't just him. Tyler had his own part to play, same with Hannah.' He couldn't help but wonder though why the damage he caused hurt the most. Caleb leaving, Brad leaving.. And most of all Clay, himself, who now stood on Death's doorstep.

Unsure at first, he hesitated. 

 

'You're acting stupid because you're dealing with a breakup. Don't do this, Tony.' He scolded himself. After hyping himself a little, he argued with himself. Reasoning that there was likely no real downside with doing it. So why not? Without letting himself think about it a moment longer, Tony reached out his hand. 

 

Gently and cautiously as if Clay may shatter at any moment, he wrapped his hand around his friend's. It was such a different feeling with Clay rather than Caleb, Brad and even Ryan. His soft chestnut skin and largely calloused palms against Clay's softer, light beige hands created an amusing contrast. The only roughness to them, he marveled, was from were Clay's bike handles chaffed against his palm. But the most prominent difference was in the way it made him feel. Tony' s heart beat picked up slightly and despite his best efforts not to, the slight twitch in the corners of his mouth twisted up into a full, yet bashful smile. "Shit, I was just dumped. I shouldn't be smiling like a damn idiot.."

 

Even with the guilt that filled him and the storm of colliding emotions in his head, Tony felt as if for the first time since the incident- Since Hannah, actually. He felt like he had actually done something right.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER*   
> 1.I am in NO way condoning or supporting any violence towards oneself or others. This is a work of fiction that contains those aspects for the sole purpose of keeping canon-typical and moving the story along. If you are dealing with a difficult situation, please reach out to the many resources available to you below, message me, or look up specific hotlines/chatrooms to fit your needs. You are not alone.  
> 2.PLEASE READ TWs BEFORE READING! They are in the story description above. Please stay safe!I  
> 1-(800)273-8255[National Suicide Hotline US]  
> 1-(866)246-9224[Canadian National Hotline]  
> 1-44 (0) 8457 90 90 90[UK Suicide Hotline]  
> 1-(866)488-7386[Trevor Project]


	3. The School

 

**<** **K-chqt** **>**

 

 

Tony stirred slightly at the sound of electronic camera shutters. "Shit.." Ryan hissed as he quickly turned off his phone's sound.

 

 

" You dumbass. " Jessica laughed quietly, stuffing her own phone away. It felt nice to joke about things again. Ever since the shooting, Liberty High and their friend group especially had grown quieter and more despondent as they wandered aimlessly from class to class. "I thought you were obsessed with dating sites and all that. How could you forget?"

 

 

" Shut up.. " He glared at her playfully. "He didn't wake up so what does it matter? Plus even if he had, it was worth it. Look at this shot." The picture on his phone showed a blissful scene.

 

 

" Oh my god. Ryan, you've got to send that to me. " She said in awe.

 

 

"W...hat the hell are you guys talking about..?" Tony slurred, he was awake now and slowly lifting his upper half up off of Clay's hospital bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stretched as much as his injured shoulder would allow.

 

 

" Nothing important. We just came by to visit you and Clay. See how you two were holding up. "

 

 

" ... " He gave Ryan an odd look before deciding he didn't really care about it and changed to a subject he did. "Sit down. I want to talk to both of you." Tony closed his eyes a moment as the sharp throbbing pain of an impending headache set in. 'I need to find a better position to sleep in. Either that or start drinking a hell of a lot more of that shitty coffee.' The two guests exchanged a glance before settling into a couple of the badly-cushioned hospital chairs. The familiar pre-"talk" anxiety filled them both, as if it were an aggravated teacher rather than a disheveled teen sitting across from them.

 

 

"What happened after he shot me the second time? Did anyone else-?" Jessica nodded, her eyes darkening. " Who? "

 

 

"Tyler." He had expected that but couldn't quite decide if he pitied the dead boy or was relieved he was gone. " And a cop. "

 

 

"You, Clay, the cop and him were the only ones that he hurt intentionally. Justin's ear was grazed by a ricochet but that will heal pretty quickly. He came to school the next day. He and the other Jensens are all pretty fucked up right now."

 

 

"I think we all are, Jessica." Ryan crossed and then uncrossed his legs uncomfortably.

  
" True. " She admitted. Everyone at the school was affected by the shooting in one way or another. Some grew paranoid, others found themselves questioning everything, and others still were actually happy it happened. Bryce's old group in particular. A cruel group of jocks who were now led by his second-hand man, Montgomery, after the original leader's disappearance the day after the shooting.

"That's one hell of a bargain! 3 annoying assholes for the price of one?! Unheard of!" The other's standing about him laughed along as he wrapped an arm around the one closest." Sucks about the cop though, my dad knew him. Wasn't too happy to hear one of his buddy's got shot down by that queer. " His voice became morose for the first time then, letting a serious look lay over his face for only a second before a peel of laughter broke from him once more.

"But seriously though, guys! Who the hell brings that much shit to a dance and manages to only knock out a couple of his weird buddies and himself! I mean, if I had even _hal_ f of that, I bet I could've taken 10 guys out before I was shot up by the cops, _atleast._ " Jessica remembered looking up then as he lifted his hand up to her face in the form of a finger gun. He smiled at her, and flung the muzzle of his "gun" into the air with a short but distinct, " **Bang!** " It had taken everything in her then to fight the urge to vomit.

"Mr.Porter was laid off yesterday. I guess they had been looking for excuse to do so, and one of them wasn't complete bullshit. We are getting a new permanent counselor next year. "

Ryan chimed in, sarcasm and irritation dripping heavily from his words. "Now, instead of having a counselor to talk to. We have three very-much-armed policemen who keep watch on campus everyday. The baseball team isn't too happy. Rumor has it they are trying to use one of their dad's position on the force to try to convince them to leave."

 

"I don't doubt it. When your favorite activities are drinking, smoking pot and raping girls, it's hard not to see why they don't want the cops breathing down their necks." He glanced at Jessica then. " Sorry. "

  
"It's fine. I mean, what happened isn't fine-! The other- What you were trying to say, I get it." Her face reddened as she grew more flustered. Tony only nodded in understanding. "I-.. I'm just glad _he's_ gone. Hopefully... he doesn't hurt anyone else at the other school." Worry colored her tone now as her eyes were focused on something far off in the distance.

A bird squawked cheerily outside the hospital room's window. Its scratchy warble not much louder than a whisper outside the insulated walls. "Thanks. Both of you. That's all I really wanted to know. You can stay longer if you want, unless you have somewhere you've got to be." Ryan smiled at him remorsefully. " It's fine, really. Go do whatever you need to. I have things under control here. "

"You sure?" Jessica's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

" Yeah. Now go. We'll see you guys at school. " Jessica had to keep herself from commenting on the "we" part as she waved goodbye with her companion. Nothing good would come of shattering his delusions now. He waved back with a sad smile plastered on his face before turning his attention back to his companion.  
~  
Tony muttered angrily to himself as a new nurse stole him away and was in the process of forcing him back into his own room. "I told you I'm fine, lady! I am using this damn chair and taking my meds and everything, just take me back!"

" You are supposed to be in your chair only for p.t. and going to the restroom. Not multiple days. You _should_ be in bed. " Her tone and hairdo were just as strict as she was with hospital policy.

"For FUCKS sakes! I will stay in the damn bed alright?! Just move me to the one next to him. I know it's open." The middle-aged woman stood between him and his bed now, her arms crossed in front of her in impatience. " And- If you don't let me, I will be forced to contact Mrs.Jensen. Clay's mother. She is a lawyer you know and seeing as I am being compliant with my health care where it matters... Well, I could see how that would cause some problems. Y'know? "

And just like that, he was now bed-bound alongside his friend.  Listening to the beeps of the heart monitors that would sync up from time to time. He wasn't sure why, but every time it happened it never failed to make him smile. Tony couldn't say much did that for him these days. Sometimes he'd be so desperate for the feeling he would purposefully try to calm down or psych himself up to meet up with Clay's rhythm, and today was one of those days. For some reason though he couldn't get it to go just so. Jensen's heart rate was too fast for him to catch up with on his own. Too fast to be healthy, he suddenly realized. "Nurse?.. Nurse!"

He didn't have time to carefully ease himself into his chair and rearrange his limbs into their designated areas. So instead he chose to act instead of think and stood up on his own. The Puerto Rican teen ignored the agony coursing through him from his thigh as he felt something tear or when the fading of his vision became so bad he could hardly manage to stay vertical as he limped toward quickly.

The few feet of cold, linoleum tile between the hospital beds felt like miles to him. Each step was more insufferable than the last. By the time he reached his destination, the only thing keeping him standing was the bed he leaned over. "Shit! C'mon stay with me, Clay! C'mon..!" He knew what to do if a heart stopped, but as his friend's heart beat faster and faster he could do nothing more than watch the monitors helplessly.

"6 milligrams of adenosine, now! You! Move out of the way! " A doctor yelled at him as he was pushed from the bed and into the wall behind it. No one paid him any mind as he hissed in pain when the hole in his shoulder began to separate as well. He could feel warm liquid slowly pool about his fingertips.

"Damn it.." His frustration with the medical staff quickly evolved into thankfulness as Clay's heart slowed and settled back to it normal pattern.

Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Padilla's lips drew up into a smile. Their two melodies of beeps becoming one while he listened.

"Wh'zz.. So funny.. T'ny?" Two exhausted but curious blue eyes now fell upon him. The bruise-like bags under his eyes only making the dark color more prominent. At first Tony didn't react, he stayed perfectly still as he stared at him incredulously. Then, a moment later his bullet wound only tore further apart as he wrapped his arms around him and held him close.

"Uh.. Excuse me, Mr.Jensen, we will speak with you in a moment. Mr.Padilla, we need you to sit down. Your stitches need to be redone it seems. All because you couldn't do as Nurse Cassidy instructed you to." A wheelchair appeared beside him with the nurse in question at its handles. Her creased face shriveled up slightly more than usual with what he assumed to be her attempt at looking smug. "You got blood on the railing.." The doctor sighed as she instructed a nurse to get the janitor. " And the wall! Good lord! "

'"Glad to see this hospital has its priorities straight. " That earned him an evil glare and an offended huff.

He didn't realize how much he would regret pissing off the nursing staff until later. That's when he discovered cloth cuffs tethering his wrists and ankles to the bed after an unnamed individual suggested that his sarcastic remark was a sign of him being suicidal. Well... Either that or him ripping out his own stitches on accident. Whichever reason it was, he was now stewing in his own anger as Clay laughed quietly to his right.

"It was just some stitches! What next? Are they going to stuff a tube down my throat to feed me if I don't finish all of my food? This is fucking ridiculous.."

" Careful what you say you may gi-..ive them ideas. " He joked lightly. He was still far from healed and his voice gave out and broke regularly, but he still seemed much the same as he was before to Tony's relief.

"I can't even sit up! Look at me! I'm a fucking starfish!" He wasn't wrong, to his friend's delight. Due to the positioning of the straps and his short length, each limb was forced to stretch out towards each corner. And, with his furious head on top of all that, he did indeed make a pretty amazing star.

"It suits you. Being a starfish." The taller boy attempted to lay on his side to see his friend easier. " It makes you look _adorable_. Now we just need a costume and it'd be perfect! " He made a picture frame out of his fingers and positioned them before him as they encircled Tony's form.

Two middle fingers flipped him off as Tony fought off a smile.

"Tony the Starfish's hospital adventure! I'd read the hell out of that. I'll start the plans for copyright as soon as I am out of here."

" As long as you don't illustrate it. I've seen your drawings, and I don't want my story to give kids nightmares. "

"Deal."

"Deal. " They shook each other's imagined hands in agreement from either side of the room before they both burst into loud laughter.

"Haha..heh.." The initial euphoria began to fade along with both of their energy. "But seriously though... What the hell are we supposed to do after this?"

Tony went quite and stared up at the t.v. above them. An infomercial played silently to itself as his face grew slack.

" I don't know, Clay. I really don't.. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER*  
> 1.I am in NO way condoning or supporting any violence towards oneself or others. This is a work of fiction that contains those aspects for the sole purpose of keeping canon-typical and moving the story along. If you are dealing with a difficult situation, please reach out to the many resources available to you below, message me, or look up specific hotlines/chatrooms to fit your needs. You are not alone.  
> 2.PLEASE READ TWs BEFORE READING! They are in the story description above. Please stay safe!I  
> 1-(800)273-8255[National Suicide Hotline US]  
> 1-(866)246-9224[Canadian National Hotline]  
> 1-44 (0) 8457 90 90 90[UK Suicide Hotline]  
> 1-(866)488-7386[Trevor Project]


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